It was the fourteenth year of the Hijrah, and the major ruling superpower was the Sassanian Empire. The Muslims decided to invite some of the Sassanians to Islam, one of these polytheists was Rustam Farrokhzad. Rustam was the strongest military general of the the Empire, and he was also popular politically as he was a member of the House of the Ispahbudhan ruling family. Rustum led several conquests against the Byzantines, whom they were at war with. He served Khosrow II at first, but after Khosrow died due to Allah's punishments, he served Kavad II,until he eventually, and finally, served Yazdegerd III.
The Sahabi, Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, had to find an emissary to be sent to the palace of Rustam to give him Da'wah and discuss political issues. He chose Rabi' ibn Amir. Rabi' was thirty years old at the time. He was not very wealthy, and his clothes were all ragged, patched and torn. Sa'ad then said to Rabi', “Go, and do not change your actual appearance, because we are a nation whom Allah, may He be Exalted, has given respect because of Islam. If we leave the path of Islam and choose to attain respect and status through any other means, then certainly Allah will allow us to be disgraced.” Rabi' nodded, and then he hopped onto his small horse, carrying some light weapons, such as a sword, a wooden shield, and a small javelin with him. He set off quickly to the camp of Rustam, located at ancient Mesopotamia.
Rustam Farrokhzad was excited to hear that an emissary of the Muslims was going to visit him. He made sure to decorate his tent within the Sassanian military camp. Rustam decorated his tent with various pieces of shiny gold and silver, as well as silk material that was placed around his tent. He fixed expensive and priceless pieces of jewellery inside his tent, which would display the might of the Sassanians and their high positions in society. The intention of his actions were to place the Muslim emissary into a state of awe and shock so that he could say nothing.
Rabi' ibn Amir arrived at the camp of Rustam, and entered the central tent with his horse after the Sassanian guards allowed him to do so. As he entered, his horse's hooves began to destroy underfoot the expensive silk material which was hanging inside the tent. The Sassanian guards then ordered Rabi' to give them his weapons. However, he bravely retorted to them, saying, “I did not come here by myself! I was invited here by the Persians.” He then mentioned that, if they insist on him giving them his weapons, then he would leave.
When Rustam saw what had happened, he asked the guards to allow him to enter with his weapons. As the Sahabi came forward, the sharp edges of the spear and shield ripped through the silk material which was embedded on both sides of the corridor. His intention was to prove to Rustam and the Sassanians that in the eyes of the Muslims, this world was not of any important value or standing. He wanted to prove to the Persians that the world was so despicable that Allah had given it for a few moments to those who were his enemies, which meant the Sassanians.
Rabi' said to Rustam, “Say whatever you have to say.” Rustam then talked to his translator, who told Rabi' in a firm voice, “What has happened to the Arabs? I swear in the name of my Lord that there has never been a more disgraceful and despicable nation than the Arabs. The Romans have their own culture. The Persians have their own culture. The Greeks have their own culture. The people in Hindustan have their own culture. But you, the Arabs, are the most stubborn and are always fighting. You are a nation that race your camels and goats in the desert. With what intention have you people appeared on the borders of Persia?”
Fearlessly, Rabi' said, “Yes, we admit that we were once just like you have described. In fact, some of us had even gone beyond what you said. We used to be ignorant people who worshipped idols. We used to argue simply about where our goats would drink. We used to murder a family member over a simple argument. We had no laws or rules, neither did we have any culture or manners back then.” Then, Rabi' looked straight at Rustam, saying, “However, Allah Almighty has sent us to you, so that we can remove a person from the worship of another person and turn him towards worshipping Allah Almighty. Our intention is to remove people from the confines of this small world, remove them from their troubles and sorrows, turn them towards the Hereafter, remove them from various corrupt beliefs, and finally, turning them towards the just religion of Islam.”
When Rustam heard these words, he flew into a rage. (No, he is not a Redditor who spends his days in mom's basement.) He then screamed at the blessed Sahabi, saying, “I swear by my lord, you will not leave this place until and unless you do not carry some sand of my country on your head!” A basket full of sand from Persia was then placed on the head of Rabi' and everyone among the Sassanians began to laugh at what they were witnessing.
Rabi' quickly left the camp and rode on his horse back to the Muslims. Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqas saw the basket of sand on his head, and said, “Congratulations to you on a great victory, these Persians have handed their land to you even before the battle itself.” When the other Muslims heard this, they shouted out the Takbir, “Allahu Akbar!” and all of them affirmed that the sand was indeed a sign of an upcoming victory.
A week later, the Muslims went to battle against the Sassanians at Al-Qadisiyyah. The Sassanian forces appeared to outnumber those of the Muslims. Rustam Farrokhzad was at the front of the polytheist warriors. The battle commenced, and at first the Sassanians appeared to be winning. However, Allah assisted the Muslims, and the Muslims were able to crush the Sassanian forces. Rustam was killed in this battle, and the fearful polytheists ran off, retreating. The Muslims won, and Mesopotamia was theirs to rule now. The defeat of the Sassanians further weakened their empire, which would, eventually, be entirely destroyed by the Muslims in the thirtieth year of Hijrah.
Source:
Encyclopaedia Iranica's entry on ‘Rustam ibn Farrok-Hormozd’ (about Rustam Farrokhzad)
Hayatus Sahabah/The Lives of The Sahabah by Yusuf Kandhlawi, volume 1, page 239-240 (about the whole event)
Sasanian Persia: The Rise and Fall of an Empire by Touraj Daryaee (about the battle of Al-Qadisiyyah)
Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah by Imam Ibn Kathir
Al-Tabari's Tarikh
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